Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The untold story of Cynthia McKinney's final demise
Townhall ^ | 8/10/06 | Matt Towery

Posted on 08/10/2006 7:56:17 PM PDT by LdSentinal

I wrote last week that our InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion survey showed that controversial Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney would likely lose her primary runoff election against former county commissioner Hank Johnson in Georgia's 4th District.

McKinney lost handily. Beyond that, her final hours before eventually conceding defeat made for the most underreported and bizarre story of a political exit I've ever seen in my years of participating in or analyzing political races around the country.

I had agreed to join the anchor desk at Atlanta's NBC-TV affiliate to provide analysis for that day's elections. As the night wore on, it became clear that McKinney would lose in a landslide, just as our poll had suggested.

As the regular broadcast wrapped up at 11:30 p.m., McKinney had yet to appear publicly to concede the election, as custom dictates. Beyond that, earlier in the day her bodyguards had scuffled with a cameraman from the same NBC affiliate.

We signed off, and the station switched to the network feed of NBC's "Tonight Show." That's when the bizarre ending of Cynthia McKinney started to unfold.

During the day, McKinney had been accompanied everywhere by a phalanx of bodyguards. Reportedly, they held no official law-enforcement positions. Also, some of them reportedly were affiliated with political groups or positions described by some as extremist.

It remains to be seen if their political leanings and affiliations are so. Regardless, McKinney crisscrossed the district throughout the day in a white Hummer, all the while refusing to allow the approach of the public or media, the lot of whom was fended off by these menacing guards.

Now let's jump ahead to that night, and the unfunniest "Tonight Show" I've ever sat through. Not because host Jay Leno was out of form, but because back in the studio we could also see on the monitors a commotion in the ballroom of McKinney headquarters. I pointed out to anchors Brenda Wood and Ted Hall that something odd was happening.

Then we heard shouting in the newsroom itself, from where station officials were phoning 911. A station cameraman allegedly had been struck at McKinney headquarters by one of her bodyguards, and then chased to a nearby satellite news truck, where he and others locked the doors and were surrounded.

The original raw video footage fed into the station showed McKinney entering her headquarters like a hip-hop artist, with bodyguards shouting at a clearly agitated crowd.

As of this writing, police were still investigating the incident. The McKinney bodyguard believed to be involved in the altercation -- a man apparently nationally known for his martial arts skill, as well as for his involvement in similar past incidents -- claimed that the cameraman had thrown his camera at him, the bodyguard. Also, there were claims McKinney's mother was struck by media equipment. Anyone familiar with the cost of this kind of camera equipment has to doubt it would be a weapon of choice.

The video showed fists flying and the cameraman being knocked to the ground.

It got stranger still. Finally McKinney appeared before reporters. She summoned her supporters to the stage, separating them from the press. Next was heard a song by the artist Pink that was directed at a clearly demonized President Bush. McKinney then commenced a rambling speech that, among other things, implied fraud in the electronic voting that day. She also thanked or expressed support for all sorts of groups and even foreign nations, including Venezuela, an avowed enemy of the United States.

At least that's what we thought we heard.

Media reports have since surfaced of anti-Semitic remarks hurled at media by McKinney supporters as they left the headquarters. One reporter for a major national newspaper claimed she was threatened with being "thrown down the stairs or the escalator" if she didn't vacate an area near where McKinney was holed up.

Every corner of that headquarters emanated fear and hatred.

I have to make this clear. In last week's column, I recalled the bright and personable Cynthia McKinney I knew back in 1990. And it's not my place to summarily judge her in 2006.

But I now know why our polling of this primary runoff election showed so accurately that McKinney would be trounced. Clearly, this heavily African-American district she represented no longer wanted to be associated with her brand of representation.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Georgia
KEYWORDS: antisemite; buhbye; cynthia; cynthiamckinney; dekalb; democrats; georgia; hank; israel; jews; johnson; joooos; kook; looneytoons; mckinney; nbp; nbpp; newblackpanthers; nut; primary; psycho; psychoticmoonbat; thuglife; thugocrats; thugs
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-137 next last
To: mhking

Thanks, I knew you'd tell us about it...


61 posted on 08/10/2006 9:33:35 PM PDT by Semper911 ("We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." -Marge Simpson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: Semper911
You've never held back before telling us about your newsroom/interview experiences. Did you see the raw footage?

[LOL] Yes, I saw the footage. Our camera was jostled around enough that you couldn't really tell what was happening. However, the camera from another station in town caught the entire exchange.

Our cameraman's light accidentally hit the security goon (who we later have identified as one Steve Muhammad, who has a book on Amazon.com on teaching kenpo-style karate, and who starred in "Enter the Dragon" as Jim Kelly's karate instructor) in the head -- honest mistake.

Said goon hauled off and went after the cameraman with a closed fist to slug him.

62 posted on 08/10/2006 9:37:16 PM PDT by mhking ("Lotion -- apply directly to your skin; Lotion -- apply directly to your skin...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: JRochelle
"She reeks of hate."

Winnie Mandela comes to mind.

63 posted on 08/10/2006 9:42:33 PM PDT by blam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Rembrandt

I don't believe that this is the end of her.

She'll crawl out from under some rock in two years and run again.

It's in her ego to do this.


64 posted on 08/10/2006 9:45:32 PM PDT by MplsSteve
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: mhking
>McKinney then commenced a rambling speech.

With her previous behavior problems, is this a woman with a substance abuse problem?
65 posted on 08/10/2006 9:46:42 PM PDT by MindBender26 (Having my own CAR-15 in RVN meant never having to say I was sorry....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: BOBWADE

ping


66 posted on 08/10/2006 9:46:59 PM PDT by zip (((Remember: DimocRat lies told often enough become truth to 48% of all Americans (NRA)))))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mhking

Thanks for the ping.....just wondering why haven't you done the black conservative ping for a long time?


67 posted on 08/10/2006 9:49:52 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican (Everyone that doesn't like what America and President Bush has done for Iraq can all go to HELL)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: LdSentinal
What a thug this woman is. The left, who claim to be for peace are among the most violent of us all. Of course this horrid woman would claim election fraud, the democrats new battle cry when they lose. She deserved to lose, as she is the epitome of a loser.
68 posted on 08/10/2006 9:51:49 PM PDT by ladyinred (Thank God the Brits don't have a New York Times!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MindBender26
is this a woman with a substance abuse problem?

We can only hope.

69 posted on 08/10/2006 9:53:09 PM PDT by Semper911 ("We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." -Marge Simpson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: LdSentinal
And it's not my place to summarily judge her in 2006.

It never is. That's why we're in up to our eyeballs in PC now.

70 posted on 08/10/2006 9:53:20 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Rabid ethnicist.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici

You said "eyeballs". *snicker*


71 posted on 08/10/2006 9:54:27 PM PDT by DocRock
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican
just wondering why haven't you done the black conservative ping for a long time?

Because I've been insanely busy -- hopefully time will begin to loosen up over the next few weeks...(he said again, hoping that if he says it enough, it'll really happen)

72 posted on 08/10/2006 9:59:31 PM PDT by mhking ("Lotion -- apply directly to your skin; Lotion -- apply directly to your skin...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: MplsSteve
"She'll crawl out from under some rock in two years and run again."

Yep. Been thinking the same thing. She's done it before.

73 posted on 08/10/2006 10:01:23 PM PDT by Texas Mom (Two places you're always welcome - church and Grandma's house.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: LdSentinal

This is really not news. Heard some cuts of her remarks on Limbaugh's show, as usual he's miles ahead of everyone. He is truly "show prep" for all the others that come on later, what a hoot.

In all fairness, Laura Ingraham has scooped Limbaugh on some occasions too, she's no slouch.


74 posted on 08/10/2006 10:04:23 PM PDT by brushcop (Lt. Harris, SFC Salie, CPL Long, SPC Hornbeck, B-Co, 2/69 3ID We will remember you always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LdSentinal
Media reports have since surfaced of anti-Semitic remarks hurled at media by McKinney supporters as they left the headquarters.

Yeah, but did she make a movie about Jesus and His resurrection? I think not...So whatchoo talkin' 'bout, muthaf@#ka? That's what I thought. Mmmm hmmmmmmmm!!!

75 posted on 08/10/2006 10:05:52 PM PDT by Captainpaintball (Congress is more afraid of nail guns and illegal aliens than law abiding American citizens)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: elmer fudd
Personally I don't get why conservatives were against her. She's a total whackjob and that's obvious to anyone with more than a room temperature IQ. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather have an incompetent clown as my opponent than someone who might actually be able to accomplish something.

Cynthia will be sorely missed. I was rooting for her all the way.

76 posted on 08/10/2006 10:06:05 PM PDT by Luke Skyfreeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: orchid; Excuse_My_Bellicosity

Nah, Bellic got it right. This is August, so we're in the Dog Days.


77 posted on 08/10/2006 10:06:10 PM PDT by Tenniel (Whenever a man casts a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct -- T. Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: LdSentinal

Hope we've seen the last of that wacko.


78 posted on 08/10/2006 10:08:13 PM PDT by garylmoore (Faith is the assurance of things unseen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: garylmoore

She is low life street trash , always was. She'll be arounf for sure . Probably head some black racist group.


79 posted on 08/10/2006 10:10:10 PM PDT by sonic109
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]

To: mhking

she can go away mad, just so long as she goes the HELL away.


80 posted on 08/10/2006 10:13:52 PM PDT by King Prout (many complain I am overly literal... this would not be a problem if fewer people were under-precise)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-137 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson